1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to accessories for enhanced cooking, and with particularly regard to accessories used in an outdoor barbeque grill 25.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cooking accessories have been devised for use with barbeque grills. One of these is U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,741 issued to Plumley et al. This device is similar to the instant invention in that it is used in conjunction with a barbeque grill. However, Plumley""s device has its own lid 61 and is not intended to be covered by a lid of the barbeque grill. Furthermore, Plumley""s lid acts as a means for catching drips from the perforated lower surface of the pan of Plumley. Plumley has a perforated surface on which food is placed. This surface lies directly on the rack of the barbeque grill. As such there is no space between the barbeque grill and the surface on which food rests. The exception would be when the lid of Plumley is used as an additional layer between the cooking surface and the grill. In this arrangement juices from the food are caught in the underlying lid as can be seen in FIG. 7. The deep pan and shape and perforated surface on which food is to lie as shown at 40 in FIG. 7, make clear that Plumley""s device is not intended for bread type foods. Furthermore, the rim around the cooking surface of Plumley would make it difficult to place pizzas on and to remove pizzas from the pan of Plumley. Plumley also has no tile used in conjunction with her device.
Another reference that has an accessory to be used with a barbeque grill 25 is U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,359 issued to Zuccarini. Zuccarini similarly has a deep pan structure. Zuccarini""s device also has vents or holes in the bottom of the pan. This pan lies directly on the grill of the barbeque and is designed to allow hot gases and smoke to penetrate through the vents in the bottom of the pan. While Zuccarini""s device is configured to be enclosed by the lid of the barbeque as is the instant invention, Zuccarini""s device is configured to have a portion of the device removed from the barbeque grill by means of a handle in order to access the cooked food as shown in FIG. 6. Furthermore, Zuccarini does not have a tile. In fact it appears that a tile would limit Zuccarini""s device from working properly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,833 issued to Chen is a device that is arranged to rest on a stovetop. As such it is different from the instant invention. One similarity is that Chen""s device incorporates a tile and has the specific purpose of cooking pizzas. However, Chen""s device is not intended to be fully enclosed in a barbeque. Furthermore, Chen""s device does not have the legs and the other structure that properly directs the heat for a topless insert like the instant invention. Instead Chen""s device has its own lid, which helps to guide the hot gases directly from a flame to surround the pizza.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,265 issued to Romo has an insert for converting a conventional home oven into a pizza oven. As such, the invention of Romo is limited with regard to its use in a barbeque application. As can be seen in FIG. 1 a downwardly protruding lip on one edge is designed specifically for an indoor oven. Furthermore, the tiles 12 of Romo are not spaced above the rack of the oven as is the instant invention""s tile spaced above the grill of a barbeque. While this feature may not be critical in using Romo""s device in an indoor oven, it would be critical were the device of Romo to be used in conjunction with an outdoor barbeque. This is so because it has been found with the instant invention that spacing the insert above the grill is important to prevent burning of the bottom of the pizza.
A reference to U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,568 issued to Dama et al. discloses a portable baking device. While column 2, line 44 discloses that this device can be used with an outdoor charcoal fired grill it does not appear that this device would fair well being enclosed in a modern gas grill, or even enclosed in the charcoal grills. Particularly, the thermometer 23 and other features of the device do not appear that they would stand up under the high heat that is encountered in an enclosed barbeque grills. Dama also lacks the tile, the spacing, and the legs, which were lacking in the references discussed above.
It is therefore an object of the instant invention to provide a pizza insert for a barbeque grill that can be enclosed in a gas or other type of outdoor oven or barbeque grill.
It is a primary object of the instant invention to provide this insert such that an upper surface or a cooking surface of the insert is spaced above the grill of an outdoor barbeque.
It is further an object of the instant invention to provide a cooking surface of a tile, which may be ceramic or stone. A related object of the invention is to provide even heat on the cooking surface. Another feature of this invention is to provide a balanced heat that is not conducted directly from the grill to the food but is distributed in the tile.
Another object of the invention is to provide a configuration that inhibits hot gases as they rise from a grill and yet permits the hot gases to escape around the sides of the insert.
It is another object of the invention to provide an insert that has an open top to permit an outdoor barbeque to perform the function of the baking that occurs from above as well as below.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide a tile stay with at least one opening therein to permit hot gases to contact a lower surface of the tile. The tile stay may be in the form of a flat metal having a plurality of apertures to help distribute heat along a bottom surface of the tile, or it may be in the form of peripheral angle brackets.
The instant invention fulfils the objects set forth above in that it comprises at least one tile that rests on a rack that is spaced above a barbeque grill by a support structure that is connected to the rack and extends downwardly there from. The pizza insert of the instant invention also has a rim that extends upwardly from the rack and substantially prevents the tile from moving in horizontal directions. However the rim extends away from the rack a distance less than the thickness of the tile so that the rim does not obstruct access to the pizza placed on the tile. In one embodiment of the invention a gap is left along one edge of the tile to permit food remnants to be scraped off of the cooking surface. This is achieved by a standoff bracket between the rim and the tile on one edge of the tile.
It is contemplated that the support structure may be in the form of a single panel having a plurality of arched cutouts forming legs between respective arched cutouts. In this embodiment an upper edge of the panel forms the rim around the perimeter of the pizza insert. An intermediate portion of the panel forms a part of the tile stay and supports an angled bracket to provide the remainder of the tile stay. Alternatively, the panel supports an apertured flat metal plate that acts as the tile stay together with a portion of the panel that surrounds the tile. In this embodiment the apertured flat metal plate helps to distribute the heat as it rises from the barbeque and contacts the pizza insert.
Another feature of the invention is that a thermometer may be selectively attached to the pizza insert in a position that provides for easy viewing by a user.
Another aspect of the invention is that there is provided a woodchip tray in conjunction with pizza insert. The woodchip tray may be placed in the barbeque together with the insert. The woodchip tray contains woodchips that are burned to provide a smoke flavor to the pizza.
Another feature of the invention is that a backsplash is provided in addition to or as an extension of the rim along an edge. This edge is intended to be the back edge, and thus the backsplash prevents the pizza from sliding off the back of the insert. This backsplash may extend solely along the back or may extend forward along the sides of the insert.
The instant invention may be embodied as a kit comprising a ventilated tile stay. In this embodiment, the ventilated tile stay includes the horizontal surface for supporting the tile, the rim for inhibiting horizontal movement of the tile, and the support structure that spaces the horizontal surface and tile above the barbeque. The kit further comprises a tile for receipt on the tile stay, a woodchips smoking tray, a thermometer, and a means for removably connecting the thermometer to the tile stay. All other features of the kit are equivalent to those described for the apparatus of the invention elsewhere in the disclosure. However, the kit may additionally include traditional pizza tools, including tools that are known by the name of pizza peals. It should be noted that the instant invention is configured to permit use of traditional pizza peals for placing a pizza on, and removing the pizza from, the tile.
The method of using the pizza insert of the instant invention has its own uniqueness that is related to its unique structural features. This method of using comprises the steps of: placing the pizza insert on a grill; spacing the tile stay and the tile above the grill by positioning the legs or support structure on the grill; heating the insert at a predetermined setting for a first predetermined length of time; placing the pizza in the insert; closing the lid of the barbeque; leaving the pizza in the insert and in the closed barbeque for a second predetermined cook time; and removing the pizza when it has reached a properly cooked state.
By the unique feature of the arched cutouts the instant method includes locating these arches optimally in order to properly inhibit rising hot gas from the barbeque and to properly transfer heat to the tile 16 and permit escaping hot gases through the arches.
Another contributing factor to both the method of using and the product itself is the particular material of the tile. In the preferred embodiment, the tile is a non-glazed high-fired ceramic tile. However, any of a number of other materials may be used including low-fired ceramics, natural stone, synthetic stone, concrete, cement, or a glazed ceramic. While some of these materials in their best known form would not be suitable for the high temperatures and high temperature variations experienced by the instant invention, some special cases exist in the above listed categories. Some materials in the above listed categories have been adapted for use in these extreme environments. Furthermore, it is contemplated that others will be developed, which will lie within the scope and spirit of the tile of the instant invention.
Another aspect of the method is permitted by the relationship of the thickness of the tile with respect to the rim. That is, the height of the tile with respect to the rim permits the use of traditional pizza peals. Peals can be used to place a pizza on the upper surface of the tile and remove a pizza from tile without obstruction by the rim and without scraping the pizza or the peal on the rim.
In an embodiment that provides a gap along one edge of the tile, the method includes scraping remnants of food material off of the cooking surface of the tile and into the gap so that they fall into the barbeque and are burned away. Finally and optionally, the method includes placing a tray of woodchips to be burned within the barbeque in order to provide a smoke flavor to the pizza. This insert may be positioned to one side of or below the insert at the user""s discretion.
While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by the construction of xe2x80x9cmeansxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstepsxe2x80x9d limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in the case where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are to be accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The invention can be better visualized by turning now to the following drawings wherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.